NHS app chief ’s husband told to self-isolate

THE Test and Trace chief ’s MP husband has been instructed to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app.

John Penrose, who is married to Baroness Dido Harding, announced on Twitter yesterday that he had been alerted by the app to self-isolate after potentially coming into contact with someone who has coronavirus.

He said Lady Harding had not been told to self-isolate.

The Weston-super-mare Tory MP, wrote: “It never rains but it pours ... my NHS app has just gone off, telling me to self-isolate, which I’m doing. No symptoms so far *crosses fingers*”

He added that his household was “trying to make sure we are doing it by the book, if I can put it that way”.

“Her [Lady Harding’s] NHS app has not gone off, so it’s someone I have been in contact with rather than her.”

Government guidance states that if a person receives an alert telling them that they have spent time near someone who has tested positive for Covid, then they have to stay at home for 14 days.

The rules state that those in a household where another person has received an alert “will not need to isolate unless you develop symptoms”.

It means that if Mr Penrose develops symptoms, then Lady Harding would be forced to self isolate.

Meanwhile, the Government said that more than half a million rapid coronavirus tests would be sent out to local public health leaders this week.

Lady Harding said she was “delighted that as part of our expansion of testing we are able to partner with local authorities to deliver these new rapid-turnaround tests to our local communities”.

“Building on national capacity of 500,000 tests a day, we are now moving to the next stage of testing tailored around the individual needs of local areas with control in the hands of local directors of public health,” she said.

‘Her NHS app has not gone off, so it’s someone I have been in contact with rather than her’